Family of missing British hiker in Italy issue statement as search continues

The family of a missing British hiker in northern Italy have said they are “devastated by the tragic events of the last few days”.

Search teams have continued looking for Aziz Ziriat, 36, who has been missing in the Dolomites in northern Italy for more than a week.

The body of his friend Sam Harris, 35 and also from London, was found in the Passo di Conca area on Wednesday, rescuers said.

In a statement, Mr Ziriat’s family said: “Aziz is continuing to be loved and prayed for. We hope, with all our hearts, he will be found and brought home soon.”

Meanwhile Joe Stone, a university friend of Mr Ziriat, told the PA news agency on Saturday that while search teams were “trying everything” to find him “there is an acceptance among us that it’s not going to be good news”.

The pair’s last known location had been a mountain hut called Casina Dosson, close to the town of Tione Di Trento, near Riva Del Garda on Lake Garda.

Italy’s National Alpine Cliff and Cave Rescue Corps (CNSAS) said on Saturday that the search for Mr Ziriat resumed at first light.

Around 40 rescuers had been airlifted to high altitudes to dig into the snow to search for Mr Ziriat in the area where Mr Harris’s body was found.

On Wednesday, teams tracking a “phone of one of the two mountaineers” found a body in the area of Passo di Conca “sadly deceased, buried under the snow”.

Mr Ziriat’s family praised the work of search teams, adding that “their commitment to finding Aziz has been outstanding”.

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Palace For Life, the charity run by Crystal Palace which Mr Ziriat works for, posted on X: “We are aware of reports that the body of Sam Harris has been recovered.

“We are devastated to receive this news and our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to his loved ones. No further information is currently available regarding the whereabouts of Aziz.”

A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said on Friday: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in northern Italy and are in contact with the local authorities.”